Former Wellesley selectmen announces run for governor

A former Wellesley Board of Selectmen chairman and an executive in the healthcare field announced his plans to seek the Democratic nomination in the 2014 gubernatorial election to the Townsman this week.

By Lee V. Gaines

Wicked Local

By Lee V. Gaines

Posted Jan. 8, 2013 at 12:01 AM
Updated Jan 8, 2013 at 8:22 AM

By Lee V. Gaines

Posted Jan. 8, 2013 at 12:01 AM
Updated Jan 8, 2013 at 8:22 AM

Wellesley

» Social News

A former Wellesley Board of Selectmen chairman and an executive in the healthcare field announced his plans to seek the Democratic nomination in the 2014 gubernatorial election to the Townsman this week.

Joseph C. Avellone, III, described himself as a lifelong Democrat. A former surgeon and currently a corporate senior vice president for Parexel International – a clinical research company – Avellone began his political career working for the late Sen. Ted Kennedy in his 1980 presidential campaign.

Avellone said he then went on to work for Gary Hart’s 1984 presidential campaign, Paul Tsongas’ 1992 presidential campaign and, most recently, served on John Kerry’s finance committee during his 2004 presidential campaign. He served on the Board of Selectmen in Wellesley from 1990 to 1996.

But the 64-year-old Wellesley resident said he is “running on the basis of my private sector experience.”

“I run a major division, a global division of [Parexel International], which manages clinical research trials around the world,” Avellone said. “This gives me a unique advantage to see the global economy up close and the emerging workforces Massachusetts will be in competition with.”

Avellone believes the role of the next governor of Massachusetts is to look beyond the recovery from the 2008 financial crisis and into the economic future of this century.

“The future will be educating a much broader segment of the population for new jobs,” he said. “This kind of investment is important, also investment in our crumbling infrastructure. We cannot have a modern economy with outdated infrastructure.”

Smart manufacturing, information technology, healthcare, telecommunications and life sciences are all fields Avellone said are growing in Massachusetts, and the world.

The state’s future workforce shouldn’t be trained for these technologically advanced fields solely in institutions like Harvard and MIT, but in the community college and state college systems, he said.

“Massachusetts has a great [higher education] system, but it needs to be more coordinated and focused on these growth industries as we go forward,” he said.

“I think his unique set of experiences and his personal integrity are the right match for what’s needed at the moment,” Alice Peisch said. “I’m particularly impressed with his global experiences; that is the arena we are currently competing in, and will be competing in the future.”

But Avellone’s platform isn’t solely about workforce development.

He also pointed to the high cost of health care in the state and said individuals and businesses are struggling to keep pace with the costs.

“We can be very proud we have universal access to healthcare, but in order to protect it, we need to come to grips with healthcare costs,” he said. “It’s important for the state government to take a leadership role. The way we deliver care in Massachusetts will need to change.”

Page 2 of 2 - Organized systems of care – which Avellone said deliver sufficient and sustainable care to patients across multiple healthcare facilities – exist throughout the country, and Massachusetts should look toward these models to solve its own healthcare issues.

“The next governor will have to bring powerful stakeholders together to fashion a sustainable local healthcare system, with costs moderated and quality guaranteed,” he said.

Avellone, a graduate of both Harvard Medical School and the Harvard Kennedy School, said his background as a practitioner, a health insurance executive for Blue Cross Blue Shield and his current position in the life sciences field qualify him for the job.

When asked about his ability to work with politicians from both parties and different ideological backgrounds, Avellone said, “I think the politics is less difficult if the solutions are pragmatic and real.”

“When I was a selectmen [in the 1990s], that was relatively non-partisan and pragmatic,” he said. “That is the kind of governance I’ll bring to the governor’s office. I’m interested in pragmatic solutions to grow the economy and raise the standard of living for all.”

Lt. Gov. Tim Murray and Treasurer Steven Grossman, both Democrats, are also expected to enter the gubernatorial race.

When asked if he was concerned about the name recognition candidates like Murray and Grossman have, Avellone said, “I expect it will be a competitive race and I’m going to do what every person does who is an outsider: meet people all over the state for the next year.

“We have scheduled scores of house parties already,” he said. “I’m starting down that road. This kind of retail politics is what the governor’s race should be about. I will be able to meet people, tell them about my ideas for the economy, listen to their concerns, their issues, their local economic environments and their pressing problems.”

“We are talking about an election that is a year and a half away from now,” said Peisch.

“If you look at our recent history of candidates, there are many successful candidates who, a year and half out, had very low name recognition by the public. I would point to the current governor as a good example.”

Avellone praised Gov. Deval Patrick’s administration, saying it had done a good job governing the state during and in the years that followed the financial crisis.

Despite the still-sluggish economy, Avellone said, “We will recover from the recession, but the question is where do we go from there? By the time the next administration comes into office, that’s what is on the agenda, not dealing with the status quo at the time.”

Now that his three children are grown, Avellone said he felt the coming election was a good time to run for governor.
“This is where I think I can uniquely make a big impact and where I’d love to spend the next days of my career.”